Human rights activists worldwide are demanding clemency for cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for taking part in Shia Muslim minority protests in 2011. They warn the execution could inflame the whole of the Middle East.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) an independent
non-profit organization based in London, have asked the UN to
intervene and prevent al-Nimr’s execution. He is the most
respected Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, where the majority of
the approximately 18 million population are Sunni.

In their address they say: "It is a severe blight on the
reputation of this office if it is not able to work to protect
the rights of individuals to free speech, to protest, to practise
their religion, to a fair trial, to not be subjected to torture,
and the right to life."

Despite global condemnation the forthcoming execution has been
largely ignored by Saudi Arabia's key allies - the UK and the US,
nations that profess to upholding democratic values.

The representative of Bahraini Shiite leader, Shaykh Ali Salman,
told the ABNA news agency that US Secretary of State John Kerry
was dismayed by the Saudi decision to execute Ayatollah al-Nimr.
Allegedly, Kerry was informed about the Saudi decision during a
meeting in Riyadh on May 6.

“John Kerry expressed his surprise to President Barack Obama
over the decision made by the House of Saud, and by their silence
they gave the green light to Saudi Arabia to go ahead with the
execution,” the representative said.

In London, where Shia Muslims staged a #FreeNimr rally, RT spoke
to former Bahraini MP Jawad Fayruz. He said since Saudi Arabia is
“mainly backed by the US and the United Kingdom,” it
could be just “one word” from US or UK officials to
reverse things and save al-Nimr’s life.

“Our clear message is to Downing Street, to [PM] Cameron: you
have the ability and you can do a lot of things,” said
Fayruz, explaining that the British prime minister could use his
influence on Saudi Arabia and secure Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s
release.

The lawmaker also said: “There’s no independent judiciary
system in Saudi Arabia” and the case of Sheikh al-Nimr is
“politically oriented.” This is especially due to the
ongoing war against Yemen, where Shia Houthi rebels overthrew the
president, a Saudi Arabian protégé.

Skeikh al-Nimr became a symbol of the 2011 insurrection when the
Arab Spring came to Saudi Arabia. He led Shia Muslim street
protests throughout the country, demanding constitutional
changes, liberties and an end to anti-Shia discrimination in the
kingdom.

The Sheikh’s relatives insisted al-Nimr didn’t own a gun, but the
cleric was accused of terrorism and apostasy and put on trial in
March 2013. Human rights activists shared concerns since the
outset that al-Nimr was unlikely to get a fair trial.

The arrest of Skeikh al-Nimr provoked even more disturbances in
Saudi Arabia, as protesters demanded his immediate release, which
led to an even greater escalation of violence between protesters
and Saudi security forces.

The arguably biased trial lasted until October 2014, with al-Nimr
being sentenced to death for “disobeying the
ruler,”“inciting sectarian strife” and
“encouraging, leading and participating in
demonstrations.”

The sentence aroused the strongest condemnation from
international human rights watchdogs.

Joe Stork, the organization's deputy Middle East director, said:
“Saudi Arabia’s harsh treatment of a prominent Shia cleric is
only adding to the existing sectarian discord and unrest,”
adding that if Saudi Arabia wants to gain stability in its
eastern province, it should put an end to “systematic
discrimination against Shia citizens.”

According to Said Boumedouha, deputy director of Amnesty
International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, “the
death sentence against Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr is part of a
campaign by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to crush all dissent,
including those defending the rights of the Kingdom’s Shiite
Muslim community.”

Shia Muslims around the world have been holding rallies and
petitioning to prevent the execution. When Saudi Arabia announced
al-Nimr will be executed on May 14, protests intensified and
people took to the streets in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India and
Iraq.

In Iran, the regional superpower and the only country with a
predominantly Shiite population in the Middle East, clerics and
scholars staged a mass sit-in on Wednesday in the two holy cities
of Qom and Mashhad, to express their solidarity with Sheikh Nimr
al-Nimr.

Iranian Shia Muslim clerics warned that Saudi Arabia is going to
pay a heavy price if it dares to execute the religious leader,
saying the execution could trigger “an earthquake” that would
lead to the fall of the Saud dynasty.

Last week, following the beheading of five foreigners, human
rights groups condemned Saudi Arabia for a dramatic increase in
public executions. Eighty people have already been executed so
far in 2015, compared to 88 during the whole of 2014.

Despite mounting international criticism from foreign governments
and human rights campaigners, Saudi Arabia has shown no
willingness to end public executions.

This is another example of how the international community
doesn’t care about human rights in Saudi Arabia, Ali Al-Ahmed,
Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, told RT.

“It really reflects a lack of interest on the part of the
international community, especially Western countries who have
been calling themselves champions of human rights. The [the West]
look at them [Arab world] as unworthy of having human rights and
we see international hypocrisy at its peak,” he said.